What Do We Declare?
1 Corinthians 11:17-26
What Do We Declare?
In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Worship is the natural response of man in the presence of the Creator. Worship is a definite experience, but mere experience itself cannot be thought of as worship. Worship results when the Living God, the Risen Lord of Glory, reveals Himself to man. We may, however, confuse experiences with worship. Worship will always be marked by boundless confidence, fascination, admiration, and adoration. Nowhere should worship be more evident than during the observance of the continuing ordinance—the Lord’s Table. Yet, too often we fail to worship before the Lord Christ who redeemed us. Perhaps this is because we are rushed, or perhaps it is because we have become familiar with the rite and fail to think about what we are doing.
One can perform the right act and yet displease the Lord. God is not greatly impressed by what we do, but throughout His Word He places emphasis upon our attitudes. How I think and the manner in which I conduct myself are of primary importance to God whenever I serve Him. My attitude is of primary importance before Him. Certainly this is evident in the instructions concerning the Lord’s Table which Paul provided the Church of God at Corinth. Join me in exploring this truth.
When Meetings Become Harmful — I am grieved as I observe the manner in which the Communion Meal is observed in many of our churches. This holy ordinance is tacked on at the end of a service, almost as though it were an afterthought. We thoughtlessly hurry through the act which is rendered almost meaningless through our familiarity with it. This was not the way in which the apostolic churches observed the Meal. The breaking of bread appears to have been a frequent feature deliberately included as a part of congregational worship. The ordinance was commonly observed in conjunction with a love feast—an ajgavph. What is apparent upon even cursory examination of ancient texts including the Word of God is that admittance to the meal was guarded jealousy to ensure that those who were unbaptised were excluded and to ensure that those participating were prepared to worship in unity. These points are vital to worship at the Lord’s Table!
In an ancient writing, The Teaching of the Lord to the Gentiles by the Twelve Apostles, commonly referred to as The Didache, we encounter these ancient eucharistic instructions: let no one eat or drink from your Eucharist except those who are baptised in the Lord’s Name. For the Lord also has spoken concerning this: Do not give what is holy to dogs.[1] Unbaptised people were excluded from participation at the Lord’s Table, as demonstrated by the fact that the rite was observed ejn ejkklhsiva/ [1 Corinthians 11:18 (Greek)], as will be addressed shortly.
Shortly after providing these instructions the writer provides a further command: And when you gather together each Lord’s Day, break bread and give thanks. But first confess your transgressions so that your “sacrifice” may be pure. And let no one who has a quarrel with his friend join you until they are reconciled, lest your “sacrifice” be profaned. For this is what the Lord was referring to: In every place and at all times offer a pure sacrifice to me. For I am a great King, says the Lord, and my name is Marvellous among the nations.[2] Again, notice that the attitude of the heart must reflect what is declared, and note that the congregation is the guardian of this truth. We claim we are in fellowship and we must in fact be in fellowship.
Paul rebuked the Corinthians precisely because they had ignored the truths they declared. Above all else the Lord’s Supper is a church ordinance. Listen to the Apostle: I hear that when you come together as a church… (ejn ejkklhsiva/) [verse 18]. Literally the Apostle is referring to the church met in assembly. The Lord’s Table cannot be observed except when the Body of Christ is met. I cannot decide that I will have a Communion Meal while seated in the privacy of my own home. I cannot choose to grab another individual and invite them to share a meal which I will call Communion. The church, met in assembly, has right and responsibility to observe the meal.
When the church is met that meal becomes a vehicle for corporate worship. In a brief moment I will demonstrate the declarations of the Meal, but it is sufficient for the moment to remind you that it is Communion. Note the Apostle’s instruction provided in 1 Corinthians 10:15-17. The title communion comes from an older English word as seen in this passage when read in many older translations. Judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. The New King James Version follows the practise of the older King James Version and the American Standard Version of the Bible in translating the Greek word koinwniva by our English term communion.
The tragedy of this otherwise excellent translation is that with the passage of time we have lost the common usage of the word restricting the term communion to the realm of liturgy. What is this koinwniva? The translation I use renders the word participation, an adequate though rather sterile effort at capturing what the word would have meant to those first Christians. A contemporary translation, the New Century Version, in keeping with many modern efforts at accuracy, translates the word into English as sharing. This translation (sharing) approximates the meaning of koinwniva?
Eugene Peterson has dealt with that 17th verse powerfully with his translation. Because there is one loaf, our many-ness becomes one-ness—Christ doesn’t become fragmented in us. Rather, we become unified in him. We don’t reduce Christ to what we are; he raises us to what he is.[3]
This is the emphasis which was forgotten by the Corinthians, and which is forgotten too often among the churches of our Lord in this day. We are one in Christ and we must therefore treat one another with respect and dignity. The Corinthian meal had become an opportunity for individuals to attempt to worship as individuals even though others were present. That is an impossibility. Perhaps one can worship as an individual in the presence of many under some circumstances, even under most circumstances. However, it is impossible to come to the Lord’s Table and attempt to be an individual. Here we make a great and solemn confession of unity which is essential for worship.
Some of the Corinthians stuffed themselves with the abundance of food they brought from home even as their fellow saints were hungry. This points back to that fellowship meal— the ajgavph. Those same sated souls drank so much of their own wine that they were actually drunk while fellow saints thirsted. There was no sharing. There was imposition of socio-economic strata even in the church. There was division within the Body of Christ. There was an unannounced hierarchy which discriminated for and against some within the Body.
Dear people, the Body of Christ is composed of sinners redeemed by grace. Within the Body of Christ there is no hierarchy. There are no privileges of place among the people of God. Each saint is redeemed by the infinite grace of the True and Living God, gifted by the Holy Spirit of God as He determines and placed within the Body of Christ as the Master chooses. Each saint is of infinite worth simply because that child of the Living God has been redeemed by the infinite God. Therefore, each Christian who is a member of this congregation is to be received with dignity and treated with respect.
May I be practical for a moment. Permit me to become pointed in addressing the people of God. My love for Christ and for His Body makes me bold to speak plainly. When offended by someone within the Body, where shall I go? To quit the Body of Christ means that I confess that Christ is divided! Moreover, to permit someone to quit the Body of Christ without making every effort to reclaim that individual is to say that the Body of Christ is divided. Where shall I go? Shall I start my own church? Shall I attend another church where God did not place me? Shall I cease to confess the common faith? Where can I go if not to the church where God Himself has placed me? No Christian understanding the grace of God can ever casually permit such division to occur. No Christian understanding the love of the Father can ignore the implications of such action.
I do not know all the particulars of the past, nor do I wish to know them. I do know that you are brothers and sisters in the Faith and that you are the Body of Christ. When you last came together at the Lord’s Table you confessed your unity in Christ. You acknowledged your communion with Christ—your sharing in the Faith. Just as you confessed your communion with Christ you confessed your communion as this particular Body of Christ. You shared your lives—you shared your heartaches and you shared your joys. Nothing has changed except for your attitude, for the same Lord continues to reign over the church—the same church He loved enough to place you within it, just as He gave your brother and sister saints to that same church.
Isn’t it time that we again confessed our unity in the Faith? Perhaps some among us need to confess that we were hasty in permitting our hurt to drive a wedge between our fellow saints and us. Perhaps some among us need to confess that we were remiss in not acting with dispatch to embrace those who felt hurt. No doubt all of us need to again confess that we are really one in Christ and that we need one another. Amen.
Worship and the Lord’s Table — In a brief moment we will come to the Lord’s Table. I especially long for those who hold membership here to share in this Table, but I must caution you against presumption. To participate without recognising the Body and the blood of the Lord is to invite divine judgement. I would spare you from such judgement. This is a holy time—a time of worship. The Lord Himself is present with His people and whether we honour Him or whether we disgrace Him turns on the attitude of our hearts. I ask you to listen to the familiar words of the Apostle who instructed a church so long ago, and whose words instruct us still.
This is the sole act of worship which is to continue in all churches alike until Jesus comes. As we come to the Table we remember His love for His holy people, for this is a Meal of Remembrance. Paul states the issue in this manner. I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me” [verses 23-25].
As we worship the Lord Christ we are called to remember His love, a love which held Him to the cross. He Himself confessed: The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father [John 10:17, 18]. The worshipper at the Lord’s Table confesses that the love of Christ was extended to him or her because he or she has received His sacrifice in his or her own place—the worshipper has been born from above. No outsider may make that confession, for only those who know the love of God in Christ are able to confess that they worship the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me [see Galatians 2:20].
As we worship at the Lord’s Table we participate in a Meal of Anticipation. Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes, wrote the Apostle [verse 26]. One little word—until—conveys such powerful meaning. Contained within that easily overlooked preposition is hope and encouragement sufficient for the most jaded of saints. When Jesus instituted this meal on the night before His sacrifice He spoke of the hope resident in the meal. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom [Matthew 26:29].
Whenever we lift the cup there should always be a note of hope. As we walk through this world it is so easy to become overwhelmed by the demands of daily life. Were those demands somehow insufficient to drain us of hope, the continual wickedness which is rubbed in our faces through every possible medium tends to make us cynical. We grow disheartened and lose hope. As we come to the Lord’s Table we remember that there is yet a promise that at least one more time we who are the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven [see Hebrews 12:23] shall observe this meal. Only this time which we anticipate shall be observed with Jesus physically present with His people.
We walk through this fallen world and we are soiled by the filth associated with this world. We cannot avoid becoming somewhat dirty. Our minds are assaulted and our hearts are torn. In our pain and in our despair we take our eyes from the joy that is set before us and hope dims. At the Table of the Lord we are called to look forward, to lift our eyes from this moment of toil and to recall the promise of Christ to come for us.
We need that hope found in Jesus’ promise. I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am [John 14:3]. We need to be reminded that we are not living for this moment, but we are living in light of eternity. We need to realise that what we witness at this moment is not intended to conclude all the work Christ has invested in us, but the final result of His glorious work will be seen at His return. Thus we worship. Glory to God! Jesus is coming again! I read the end of the book and we win! Hallelujah! Amen.
I return to that which I have already address to remind you that this is as well a Meal of Fellowship. Here, we worship as we confess our fellowship with Christ, and as consequence of our fellowship with Him we confess our fellowship with one another. Perhaps you have hurt me, but you are my brother and for Christ’s sake I forgive you. Perhaps I have injured you, whether unknowingly or deliberately, but you are nevertheless my sister in the Faith and I need your forgiveness.
I do not say that openly seeking unity will resolve every issue or deal with every problem, but I do say that until we seek unity we shall never resolve the issues which divide. I do say that until we seek to confess that we are willing to share our lives, even to the point of surrendering our own rights for the welfare of our fellow saints, we shall never deal effectively with the problems which even now tear our hearts apart.
A Call to Worship — Here is bread and here is wine. These elements serve to call the people of God to worship. The choice is ours. We may either observe a mere ritual, failing to realise what we are doing, or we may worship. The choice is ours alone. Paul cautioned the Corinthians with these words. Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognising the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgement on himself. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgement. When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world [1 Corinthians 11:27-32].
Perhaps the words have lost their impact in our lives through their familiarity. Again, let me read from Peterson’s translation. Anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Master irreverently is like part of the crowd that jeered and spit on him at his death. Is that the kind of “remembrance” you want to be part of? Examine your motives, test your heart, come to this meal in holy awe.
If you give no thought (or worse, don’t care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you’re running the risk of serious consequences. That’s why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won’t have to be straightened out later on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later.[4]
God judges our hearts. God judges our motives and our attitudes. God judges us. As you come to the table I hope you realise that God does not set these standards to keep anyone away. He invites us to come, but His invitation challenges us to know what we do and to act wisely as we worship. We exalt Him and His work, not our desires.
Are you a Christian? Have you been born from above and into the Family of God? Here is bread; here is wine. Come confess His reign over your life. If somehow you have never trusted Christ, though you may be a church member, though you may have been baptised, though you may have been confirmed, if you have never trusted Christ our invitation is that this would be the day you receive His gift of life.
The Word of God is very clear that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:9-13].
If today you will confess Christ, turn and tell the person next to you that you are today trusting Christ and that you want to worship Him, confessing that He died because of your sin and confessing that He lives for you.
For many of us we come to this meal dispirited and discouraged. If that describes you, I invite you to take these moments as we reflect on the Word of God to encourage your heart. Perhaps even as the service moves to the climax of worship you will bow your head and confess to the Lord that you are slipping into cynicism. Ask Him to refresh your spirit. Ask Him to renew your hope. Ask Him to again lift your eyes to the heavens in anticipation of His return.
There is no question but that many of us need to humble ourselves. I would not ask you to do anything that I have not found necessary to do, not occasionally but frequently. If you know that the bond of fellowship has been strained, perhaps even breached, I urge you by the love of Christ to even now go to the one whose fellowship is torn. In a spirit of love ask forgiveness. Some of you need to now confess that you acted foolishly in withdrawing from active participation in the assembly. You have made statements which did not honour the Lord and which were hurtful and you need to make a first step at healing before you worship. Others of you let brothers and sisters drift away in hurt and confusion. Though you did not know what to say there was that voice in your heart urging you to speak, to call out, to try to bring your sister or your brother back to the fellowship. Now is the time to go to your fellow Christian and ask forgiveness.
Who am I? I have no right to speak to you so boldly. I am but a voice calling to those whom Christ loves, asking that they live up to the call each has received. I do ask that we bow our heads and contemplate this call to worship. As the people of God quietly weigh the words of the preacher, I ask that you deal with God. If you know that you have been wrong, if you know that you have given a foothold to the evil one through anger, through hurt, through negligence—make it right at this time. Go to the one in whom you are offended and ask forgiveness. If it is not possible to do that at this moment, before God make a solemn vow that as soon as practical you will seek forgiveness. That may mean that you need to drive to your fellow Christian’s home today. It may mean that you need to make a phone call. It is more likely that it will mean that you need to go right now to the one who is either offended in you and to the one you have offended. For Christ’s sake, let us do what honours Him. Amen.
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[1] Jack Sparks (ed.), The Apostolic Fathers, The Didache 9:5 (Thomas Nelson Inc., Ó 1978) pg. 314
[2] op. cit. 14:1-3, pg. 317
[3] Eugene H. Peterson, The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary English (NavPress, Ó 1993) pg.353
[4] Peterson, op. cit., pg. 356